High-performance manganese and nitrogen codoped carbon (Mn–N–C) oxygen reduction electrocatalyst from Mn2+ coordinated sodium alginate

The research on low-cost, high-performance non platinum group metal (PGM) oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) catalysts is of great significance for the rapid promotion of fuel cells' practical applications. In this work, Mn–N–C catalyst with outstanding activity was prepared through using hydrogel formed by coordination of sodium alginate (SA) and Mn2+ as the precursor. During the preparation process, g-C3N4 was added to improve the surface area enrich the pore structure of catalysts, as well as to function as the nitrogen source. Compare with commercial Pt/C catalyst, the optimum Mn–N–C catalyst possesses extraordinary ORR activity in alkaline electrolytes, with a half-wave potential (E1/2) of 0.90 V. In addition, the Mn–N–C catalyst also displays exceptional stability in alkaline and acidic electrolytes, much superior to Pt/C catalyst.